


Come Here Often?

by CptScarlett



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Starfleet Academy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-27
Updated: 2020-10-26
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:02:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 11,227
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27220906
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CptScarlett/pseuds/CptScarlett
Summary: Leonard McCoy happens upon an understanding soul at Starfleet Academy and they become fast friends. When her technological prowess and their shared love of donuts come together, the two begin to see each other in a different light. What happens when the cadets are suddenly called into active duty to fight Nero?
Relationships: Leonard "Bones" McCoy/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 14





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Sadly, only my OCs are mine, and I only get to temporarily play with the others. This story is another fun little take on what it would be like to add a new character into the story and see how things might have been.

It had been a long first day of classes for this year, and Leonard McCoy had an hour before his practicum began at Starfleet Hospital. He sought respite in one of his favorite places in San Fransisco—an overlook of the Bay. It was the closest to nature he could get in the midst of all the studying about space, alien diseases, and preparing for life aboard a starship. He would never admit it to anyone, even the man who’d become his best friend, Jim Kirk—but he still wondered if he was making a foolish decision joining Starfleet. He found the idea of space quite mortifying, but much like other things in his life, he’d have to pull up his bootstraps and charge ahead into the unknown. San Fransisco and Starfleet Academy was about as far as one could get from his home in Georgia, and his only sense of peace seemed to come when he came here and looked out over the water.

“Do you ever feel that in the pursuit of the stars, maybe we’ve lost our love of the land we have right under us? The beauty of nature that’s right in front of us?” a feminine voice spoke from beside him.

He turned his head to examine the woman. She wore a Starfleet cadet uniform, just as he did, and now looked out over the bay as wistfully as he imagined he’d been moments before. Her long brunette hair, with its loose curls, was pulled back in a ponytail. After a brief moment of observation, he spoke. “Yes, I do feel that way—quite often, in fact. Nice to hear I’m not alone.”

“Not if you feel that way, you’re certainly not alone.” She looked out over the water and sighed. “I miss home,” she finally spoke again and her tone was as sad as her words implied.

“Where’s home?”

“North Carolina—the mountains of North Carolina. It’s so different here. I’m thrilled to be in Starfleet, but sometimes I miss those mountains so bad I want to pack up and run home.”

He was taken aback by the sympathetic feelings coming from a stranger who had no idea what he’d been thinking before she spoke up. “We were near neighbors then. I’m from Georgia.”

Though he wasn’t looking directly at her now, still enjoying the view of the bay, he saw her smile out the corner of his eye. “I guess we were, huh?” She turned towards him so he followed suit, then she held her hand out. “Jessica Patton.”

He shook her hand. “Leonard McCoy. Nice to meet you, Miss Patton.”

“Nice to meet you too. Please, call me Jessica. Not to sound too cheesy, but—you come here often?”

He smirked. “I try to get out here once a week. Still working out this semester’s schedule. Looks like this might be my only free chance. An hour between class and practicum at the hospital.”

“Ah, so medical then?”

He nodded. “I’m a doctor, yes. You?”

“Operations & Engineering—specializing in all things computers.”

“That sounds like a nightmare.”

“Hmm, well, so does handling a case of Andronesian encephalitis, so I suppose it’s all a matter of skill and preference.”

‘Yeah, I suppose it is,” he said with a slight smile. “So, to borrow the same cheesy line—what about you, you come here often? I don’t remember seeing you before.”

“I do, as often as I can. Less lately since I’m double-specializing and taking extra classes to try and finish up early.”

“Why the rush?”

She turned back to look out at the view for a few more moments before speaking. “I shouldn’t say. I’ve just met you and I’d hate to think you’d walk away from our first meeting thinking terribly of me..”

“I can’t imagine that as a possibility. You seem like a perfectly charming woman with a good head on her shoulders. What could you possibly say that would cause me to think terribly of you, darlin’?”

He could tell she was lost in thought for a moment as she gazed out over the water as the sun began to set. “I’m running away, Doctor McCoy,” she spoke quietly, and with a tremble in her voice that gave him pause.

“From what?”

She sighed. “I’m a widow. So, while I miss home terribly, I’m terrified to go back because everywhere I look there are memories of him.”

Bones blinked. She didn’t seem old enough to be a widow. He wanted to ask her what had happened, but also felt it was none of his business. “I’m very sorry for your loss.”

“Thanks.” After a moment, she shook herself from her own introspection and glanced back up at him. “And you, Doctor McCoy? What has a man who also seems so tied to land to run away to the stars?”

“Call me Leonard. Divorce. Wife took everything.”

She nodded in understanding and after a few moments of quiet glanced down at the smartwatch on her wrist and sighed. “Well, it was a pleasure to meet you… Leonard. Time for me to get to my next class.”

“Nice to meet you, too. Maybe I’ll see you out here again sometime.”

She smiled and looked his way. “Yeah… maybe.”

* * *

The next week, at the same time, Leonard McCoy came back to the Bay Overlook and smiled when he saw her standing there as he approached. “I wondered if I’d find you here again.”

She turned towards him, a smile already on her face. “Hello, Leonard.”

“Hello, Jessica. How was your weekend?”

“I was in the lab all weekend testing a theory on how to debug an issue in some testing software. I barely had enough time to eat and sleep.”

“No rest for the weary, eh?”

She shook her head. “Not at all. How about you? Good weekend?”

“Alright. I had an extra shift at the hospital, and my friend Jim conned me into going to a bar with him Saturday night. It was a nightmare.”

“I probably shouldn’t make such judgment calls, but even after the short time I’ve interacted with you—you don’t seem like the type to enjoy the bar scene.”

“Precisely, darlin’. I like a good bottle of whiskey as much as the next Georgia boy—but the loud noise and all that desperation in the air are enough to make me want to take a long walk off a short pier.”

She chuckled. “Why’d you let him convince you to go, then?”

“You’ve never met Jim Kirk. He’s very convincing.”

“Oh no, you’re friends with _the_ Jim Kirk?”

Leonard groaned. “Oh great—I should have known—to which part of his reputation are you privy to?”

“His desperation after losing the Kobiyashi Maru simulation is well known amongst the Engineering Department at the Academy.”

“Oh, that.”

“Is there some other part of his reputation you assumed I knew about?”

“Jim is—quite the ladies man.”

“Oh, I see. And you thought perhaps I had fallen prey to his charms? Rest assured, Leonard, I don’t tend to spend time in the circles of ladies who would fall prey to those sorts of charms—and I don’t tend to be attracted to that type of man.”

“I apologize for the assumption. I should have known better—I had a good feeling about you when we first met.”

She mirrored his smile and they fell into companionable silence as they watched the sun begin to set and said quick goodbyes before heading their separate ways yet again.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jessica never expected him to show up at her door.

Jessica Patton sat in her dorm room, studying diagrams for her upcoming test. She glanced at the clock to see it was getting late and was just getting up to get another cup of coffee, ready to make it an all-nighter, when the door chime sounded. She frowned, having no plans and made no arrangements for any one of her few friends at the academy to come over. She diverted from her kitchenette and went to the door, tapping the button to open the door. Her eyes went wide when she saw the tall, dark headed, dark eyed man on the other side of the doorway. “Leonard? What are you doing here?”

“Listen—I know this is probably terribly inappropriate, and we’ve only met twice, and that was away from campus—but I’m desperate. I need your help.”

Her eyes remained wide a moment longer as she examined him a bit closer. His eyes were clear, he didn’t seem drunk, and though his hair and clothes seemed a bit unkempt, nothing seemed amiss. Nevertheless, considering what she knew of the man so far, he seemed trustworthy, so she stepped aside and motioned him in. “Come in.” He came through the doorway, releasing a sigh and standing awkwardly till she turned and motioned towards the table at the center of the room. “Have a seat. Can I get you a cup of coffee, or water?”

“Coffee sounds heavenly. I’ve got a long night ahead of me,” he said before grunting as he collapsed into the seat.

She quickly poured two cups of coffee and came back to the table, sliding one to him before sitting across from him. “What’s the matter, Leonard? I can’t imagine what you had to go through to find my room. It must be important.”

“It is. I went to Technology services as soon as it started acting up—”

“It?”

He held up the device he’d had in his hand since coming in, revealing his PADD and slid it across the table. “My PADD. I keep all my class notes on that damned thing and of all times for it to start acting up, it’s the day before a big test. As I was saying, I went to technology services and they gave me some line about using the help services, and that it would be 24 hours before they could look at it, much less fix it. How do they expect students to function using these things when they’re slow to fix them?”

She sighed. “Academy issued PADDs for cadets are notorious for being out dated and finicky. I invested in my own, primarily for this very reason.”

“So, as I was walking out of technology services I thought to myself, who do I know who could fix this thing? And I remembered my over-achieving friend from the Bay Overlook.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Over-achieving? Says the man who does extra shifts at the hospital over the weekend and on class days. Pot, meet kettle.”

“But still, can you fix it?”

“How _did_ you find out where I live, Leonard?”

“Jim has a friend who works at Residential Services.”

“I don’t want to think of the code violation it was for her to give you my address.”

“Can you be mad at me later and fix this damned thing now?”

She rolled her eyes and picked up the device. “Yes, my dear doctor, I can fix it. Just give me a few minutes.” Exactly four minutes later she slid the PADD back over to him. “There you go, all fixed.”

His eyes went wide. “Seriously? That’s it? You fixed it?”

She nodded. “I did.”

He jumped up and she followed. Before she could say anything he was in front of her and planted a kiss on her forehead. “You’re an angel, darlin’! I owe you big time.”

“I—um—you’re welcome. I’m glad I could help. If anything comes up again, you’re welcome to shoot me a message, Leonard. And good luck on your test.”

“I’m sorry I’ve got to run. I’d love to chat, but I’ve got to get back to my room and study for this test.”

“No problem, I’ve got a big one tomorrow too.”

“Then good luck to you as well. Thanks for the coffee. G’night.”

“Night.”

And just like that, he was gone. Her mysterious doctor from the bay had come and gone from her dorm room faster than she could begin to comprehend his presence there. But one thing she wouldn’t forget was the kiss he’d planted on her forehead. She swore her skin still continued to tingle where his lips had quickly crushed into her.

Two hours later she sat at the same table Leonard had sat at with her, studying the same diagrams she’d been looking at before. Her PADD chimed and the message notification flashed at the top of her screen. She tapped it, opening the message window.

_No new emergencies, just wanted to thank you again for your help. Sorry to barge in on you in your room. I seriously owe you one. Good luck tomorrow. ~LM_

She smiled and wrote back a quick message. _I’m glad I could help. Should I have had a gaping wound and been turned away by the hospital, I would have come hunting for you as well. Hopefully it never comes to that. Good luck to you as well. ~JP_


	3. Here's to Living Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bones makes a bold move, and Jessica decides it's worth the chance to truly live again.

When Leonard McCoy returned to his room after his classes the next night there was a package waiting at his door. His brow furrowed in wonder at what it would be till he saw a handwritten note attached. _To LM, from JP._ His heart skipped a beat. The illustrious computer whiz Jessica Patton had left him something. He went into his room and quickly opened the stark white box. Packaged within was a brand new top of the line PADD. Another handwritten note was attached.

_Don’t get your feathers ruffled. I didn’t purchase this personally. It’s Starfleet issue. I’ll explain more later. Message me when you have time and we can get together so I can help you transfer your files over. ~JP_

Leonard set his bag down and forced himself to take the time to change out of his cadet uniform into casual clothes before sitting on his bed and leaning back against the headboard. He pulled out his old PADD and sent a quick message.

_LM: Don’t know what you did to get me the new gadget, and maybe I don’t want to know, but thank you nonetheless. How’s your night looking? Can I take you up on that offer for tech support assistance to get the thing set up?_

He wasn’t expecting an almost immediate response, but he got one.

_JP: No plans tonight, and since you already know where I live, why don’t you stop by? I can fix coffee._

_LM: Sounds great. How do you feel about donuts?_

_JP: Donuts are amazing. Why?_

_LM: You make the coffee. I’ll bring donuts. See you in a bit._

* * *

When Leonard approached her dorm room a while later it was hard to miss the three younger first year students giggling from a doorway several doors away as they observed him. He nodded toward them. “Good evening, ladies,” before tapping the chime on Jessica’s door. It was only then that he realized there was loud music coming from the other side of her door, but he couldn’t help but smirk—it wasn’t the thumping beat of the music he usually heard when Jim dragged him to the bars, or the rock and roll electric guitar he’d heard from Jim’s playlist. It was guitar and a distinctly country sounding singer. This girl really was from the mountains of North Carolina, and he may have softened even further to her in that moment.

“Just a minute!” he heard her yell before the music got turned down and then the door slid open. She was running a towel through her damp hair and wore a pair of leggings and an Academy t-shirt. Her face lit up when she saw him. “Hey Leonard, come on in.” He worked to swallow and took a deep breath as he followed her in. “I wasn’t sure how soon ‘a bit’ was so I thought I’d grab a quick shower. I was crawling around Jeffries tubes all day long being quizzed on maintenance procedures.”

“That’s right, you had a test today, too. How’d it go?”

Her face lit up even further as she poured their coffee. He set the box of donuts and the new PADD box on the table where they’d sat the night before and sat in the chair as he watched her. “It went really great! I am so ready to relax now.”

He frowned. “I’m sorry, I’m sure the last thing you want to do is help me with my technological deficiencies.”

“Nah, helping you set up your new PADD is easy peasy. You brought your old one?” she asked as she sat down across from him and rested his cup in front of him.

“Oh, yeah,” he said as he reached into his bookbag he’d set by the chair he sat in and slid it across to her. She opened the box and pulled the new one out and began tapping on each of them in turn. As she began working he took a sip of coffee and began looking around her room, only then realizing there was only one bed. “So how did you rate a solo room?”

She glanced around then back to the PADDs. “Oh—well, there have to be some perks from receiving life insurance for my husband’s death. It feels weird using the money, but when I considered the alternative—sharing a room with some giggly young thing barely old enough to tie her shoes, this seemed a valuable use of the money.”

Leonard snorted out a laugh. “Careful, you’re starting to sound as old and crochety as me.”

“I’m certainly above the typical age bracket for 3rd year Academy students, so if being responsible and mature means I’m ‘old and crochety’ I’ll take it.”

“Agreed,” he said as he raised his glass in a pretend toast of agreement. They were quiet a moment as she worked. He glanced around the room a bit more. It was in almost immaculate condition, except the towel she’d been using to dry her hair was now tossed onto the perfectly made up bed. For a moment, Leonard thought he may have died and gone to heaven having found the perfect woman. Then he frowned as he considered her past. “Is it too bold of me to ask what happened to your husband?”

She shook her head. “It’s alright, I don’t mind telling the story when I get the sense someone really cares.” She looked up into his eyes. “I get that sense from you.” They were quiet a moment as her gaze remained on him. After a moment she shrugged it off and went back to working as she continued. “He worked as an engineer at the Atlantic Deflector Shield station. There was an incident.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“Yeah, it took me a couple years to realize that I could actually live again after that, you know? Not just survive—but thrive—to really _live._ I’m sure there has to be something of a similar feeling in divorce.”

“Yeah—yeah, I guess there is. Though, I think I’m only just beginning to believe what you’re saying—that I can live again.”

“Well, you made the decision to join Starfleet—that was a big step for yourself.”

“It felt more like an act of survival, though. This whole damn planet feels too small knowing she’s out there on it somewhere.”

“I understand. Even though he’s gone, everything about it feels like a memory. It’s not that I don’t want to remember him. There will always be a part of me that loves David. But good God, I’ve got to move on and live again.”

Leonard raised his coffee mug towards her. “Here’s to living again.”

She smiled and gazed at him, tapping her mug against his. “To living again. Here here.”

They both took another sip from their coffee. “Your coffee is good, but next time, maybe we go for something stronger.”

She smirked, and glanced at the donuts. “We haven’t touched the donuts.”

“We save the donuts to celebrate your completed work.”

She grinned. “Good, because I’m done.”

He shook his head. “You really are a genius with these things, aren’t you?”

“Probably as good as you are with your hands, Doctor,” she said with a shrug. His eyebrow raised and she blushed. “I didn’t mean—”

“It’s alright, darlin’—I know what you meant. Not going to lie though, you’re kind of cute when you blush.”

She rolled her eyes. “Stop flirtin’ and dish out the donuts, Doc.” He chuckled and leaned forward, opening up the box to reveal a dozen assorted donuts. Her eyes went wide. “I’d planned on having one, but wow these look good.”

“They’re from Darlah’s Bakery, down the street.”

She gave him a blank stare. “Darlah’s Bakery?”

His eyes went wide. “Oh, sweetheart, if you don’t know about Darlah’s Bakery then you have been studying _way_ too hard. And that’s coming from a workaholic. You have got to take a study break.”

She carefully examined the assortment before picking out a donut covered in white powder.

“Mm, good choice,” he said with a nod before taking one that appeared to be half-dipped in chocolate.

An hour later they were both leaned back in their chairs and the box was missing a half dozen donuts. “Oh my goodness, I think I’m going to pop. Aren’t doctor’s supposed to encourage people to live healthy lifestyles? This does not seem healthy.”

“Food is just as important for our mental health as it is for our physical health. Sometimes—you need a donut to aid your mental health. Eat a few more vegetables and exercise a little more tomorrow and it’ll all wash out.”

She grinned. “I like the way you think, Leonard McCoy.”

“Good—keep thinkin’ that way, because I have a proposition for ya.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Oh, what’s that?”

“Hear me out, now—before you turn an old guy down.”

“I think we’ve pretty much indirectly established you couldn’t possibly be too much older than me, Leonard.”

“Still—I’m hoping if you hear me out, you won’t turn me down.”

“Consider me intrigued—I’m listening.”

“The way I figure, I owe you one.”

“You don’t owe me anything—you brought donuts, and—

“To hell with the donuts, sweetheart. You saved my hide last night, and then this—you still haven’t explained how you got this—” he said, waving his hand over the new PADD. “So, for the sake of my argument, let’s say I owe you one. And I was thinking maybe I could repay you with a little more than a few donuts. How about dinner? Friday night, after class. I’ve got the night off from the hospital.”

“Dinner?”

He nodded. “If it makes you feel better, consider that you’re helping me not feel so bad about all the trouble you’ve gone through.”

“It was no—”

“I know, I know—I understand how you feel about the whole thing. But that doesn’t answer the question. Will you go to dinner with me on Friday night?”

She leaned forward on the table, hands slipping around her mug as much to keep them busy so they didn’t tremble as out of necessity. “Are you asking me out on a date, Leonard?”

“It depends—if I say yes, will you?”

After a moment, her eyes twinkled and she raised her coffee mug again, tipping it towards him. “To living,” she said with a nod.

He smiled back and raised his mug, and clinked it against hers. “To living.” With that he finished one last sip and sighed. ‘I should get going. It’s insanely late and even Jim will probably be back in our room by now.”

Jessica waggled her eyebrows. “Oh, he’ll be positively giddy that you’ve been out late in a woman’s private room, Leonard. What are you going to tell him?”

“I’m going to tell him to mind his own damn business, that’s what,” Leonard said as he stood, stepping over to the kitchenette and rinsing his mug out and washing it with the scrub brush before setting it on the drying mat Jessica had by the sink.

She smiled at the action and stood, handing him hers before leaning against the countertop by him as he washed out her mug. “You should take the donuts with you and share them with Jim.”

“Oh no, those donuts are a part of my thank you for saving my technologically inept self from total failure.”

“Still, I’m just one person, they’d go bad before I had the chance to enjoy all of them. That would be a tragedy.”

“Well then,” he said as he wiped his hands on the dishtowel and turned towards her. “I insist you at least keep one for yourself for the morning. A little pick me up before classes start.”

She looked up at him with a smile. “Alright, I’ll keep one. I know you keep thanking me, Leonard. But I should thank you. It’s been really nice getting to know you and it’s made me a little less homesick.”

“The pleasure is all mine, darlin’. But I’ll say you’re welcome. If I don’t see you or hear from you before then, then I’ll see you Friday at 1800 hours. Sound good?”

“Sounds great.”


	4. Call Me Anytime

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anxiously awaiting their impending date, Bones finally breaks down and calls Jessica.

The rest of the week seemed to drag on, or at least it felt that way to Jessica. She wondered if Leonard felt the same way, or if perhaps she was making too many assumptions on his level of attraction to her based on the fact that he asked her out on a date. Perhaps he was just being nice because of the favor she’d done for him. She could imagine that he might have some hang-ups about starting a relationship based on his ugly divorce, but things had gone so well in the opportunities they’d had to speak, she couldn’t help but hope.

It felt strange to hope—after grieving and being convinced that her life was done, especially her romantic life. But Leonard McCoy had changed all that. Something about the man made her feel things she hadn’t felt in years—since before David had died.

She chewed at her lip as she lay on her bed flipping through the latest Starfleet News articles. No matter how hard she tried to focus on reading the article on the screen, her thoughts kept going back to Leonard. As she reread the sentence she’d already read two other times, an alert popped up at the top. She had an incoming video call—from Leonard.

“Hello?” She said with a wide smile as Leonard popped up on the screen, leaned back against his own pillows on his bed just as she was. He had one arm above his head, helping pillow his head a little higher.

He smiled back. “Hey there! I didn’t disturb you studying or resting, did I?”

“No, not at all. I was just catching up on some news. A rare moment of relaxation in the midst of the constant, perpetual struggle to stay afloat.”

“From what I hear, you seem to be doing a pretty good job, if grades are anything to show for it.”

She raised an eyebrow and grinned. “Have you been snooping around about me, Doctor McCoy?”

He waggled his eyebrows a little. “Just a little innocent research, my dear. Nothing nefarious or creepy, I promise.”

She let out a light giggle before continuing their conversation. “So, to what do I owe the pleasure of your call? Did you need something? Everything going okay with your PADD?”

“It’s great. I’m on it right now. It hasn’t glitched or hiccupped since you set it up. No, I don’t need anything… not exactly…” He glanced away and she could sense his nervousness even through the screen. Finally he turned back and gazed at her through the screen. “Other than to see you.” She felt her stomach flip and her cheeks warmed at his comment. “I, um… Friday seems to be taking forever to get here.”

She released a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding as a deep sense of relief washed over her. “I’m so glad to hear you say that. I thought for sure I was being over eager.”

He shook his head, but remained quiet, seeming to think through his thoughts and deciding not to say any of them. Instead, he diverted the conversation. “So, how _are_ classes?”

“Good. Hey, we’re about to begin studying medical equipment schematics and operations. I might have to pick your brain on a few things, if you don’t mind.”

“Don’t mind at all. For once, I’d love to not feel like the fool in the room when I’m with you.”

“You are by no means a fool, Leonard.” She had so much admiration for him and the work he does. “You are a _doctor_ , you’ve already had more education than the great majority of cadets on this campus, and you can fix _people_. I just fix _things_.”

“Maybe, darlin’—but your hands are magic with those _things_. You’re like the Tech Doctor.”

She grinned. “I’ll have to remember that one. Maybe it’ll stick as a nickname.”

“Do you have any nicknames? Jess, maybe?”

She nodded. “Yeah, the few close friends I have around here call me Jess, so did my family when I was growin’ up—and David.”

“Does it make you uncomfortable for people to call you that since he did?”

She shrugged. “Nah, maybe because my family did for so long. If he had started it, it might be weird.”

“My ex-wife called me ‘Leo’ - I wasn’t really fond of it then, and even less since things went south with her.”

“Did your family ever have nicknames for you?”

“My mother insisted on calling me Leonard. My father rebelled and used to call me Len, as did my little brother.”

“Len—that’s kinda cute. How do you feel about it?”

“Much more ambivalent and undecided than about ‘Leo’. It sounds kinda nice coming from you.”

She blushed, but filed away that bit of information and continued her questions. “What about here—have you picked up any nicknames?”

He groaned. “Oh yes, thanks to Jim.”

“Oh? The illustrious Jim Kirk gave you a nickname? And what is it?”

“Bones. He calls me Bones and now so do all our other friends and some of the nurses and Doctors on my shifts at work have even picked up on it.”

“Because you’re a doctor? Is that why he calls you Bones?”

“No. I wish. But, no. When Jim and I first met it was on the cadet shuttle headed for the Academy. I’m a bit ashamed to say I was drunk and nervous and almost got sick all over him. Anyway, I grumbled about my ex-wife when he asked why I was joining Starfleet if I hated space. I told him she took everything but my bones—”

She grinned in understanding. “And the rest is history.”

“Apparently so.”

“I’m glad you called, Leonard.”

“Yeah… me too.”

“You know, you can do this any time. Call me, I mean.”

“I don’t want to be a bother—”

“Leonard,” she said, interrupting.

“Yeah?”

“I mean it. Call me. I know this is new for both of us. But… this week, waiting for Friday, has been torture. Your call has been the best thing to happen since you walked through my door with donuts a few days ago.”

“You’ll tell me if I get irritating?”

“Yeah, I’ll tell ya,” she said with a chuckle.

“Alright then. I should get going. Jim’s draggin’ me to some sushi bar for dinner tonight.”

“Oh, good luck with that. I’ll see you in a couple days, Len.”

He blinked at her use of the nickname, and she saw him visibly swallow. “Yeah, see you Friday, 1800 hours.”

“Good night.”

“G’night Jess.”

Once she was sure the call had ended, she let the PADD plop down in her lap as she leaned her head back, closed her eyes, and smiled. Two more days.


	5. It Would Be You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are going well, perhaps too well, and Leonard is sure he's messed it up.

“So, where are we headed?” Jess said as she walked out of her dorm hall next to Leonard.

“Some place I hope you’ll like. I found out about this little hole in the wall down by the bay. It’s a bar, but not like those headache inducing bars Jim usually drags me to. This one is a little more akin to our taste, I think.”

“Oh? How’s that?”

“Well, I happened to overhear your music the other day—you like 20th and 21st century country music, right?”

Her face morphed into a wide smile and her eyes lit up. “Yes! Leonard McCoy, are you telling me you found a country bar?”

He was so thrilled by her excitement that he thought his heart my pound right out of his chest—not that it was medically possible. “I did.”

Suddenly she leaned up and planted a quick kiss on his cheek. “You’re amazing, you know that?”

“Can’t say that I do, but I sure could get used to hearing it from you, darlin’.”

“Keep talking to me in that sweet accent of yours, and I’ll keep tellin’ you, handsome,” she said with a wink before looping her arm around his as they walked across campus. They were quiet a few moments when she noticed Leonard glancing around occasionally. “Everything okay? You look a little nervous, like you’re looking for someone or something to jump out at us.”

“Jim threatened to sneak after me and find us. He’s dying to meet you.”

“When do I get to meet your best friend slash roommate slash bane of your existence?”

“I’m putting it off as long as possible,” he grumbled.

She slowed down. “Why? Do I embarrass you?”

He stopped all together and turned towards her. “Are you kiddin’ me? It’s the exact opposite, darlin’. It’s Jim who will surely do something to embarrass all of us.”

Jess reached up and squeezed his arm in a comforting gesture. “Len, your friends aren’t going to scare me away. And I’ve heard enough tales about Jim Kirk to know well enough how to handle him.”

He smiled down in admiration and turned back, holding his arm out for her to loop through his again. She did so and they began walking again. “Alright. Next time he begs me to meet you I’ll see what we can do. But don’t say I didn’t warn ya.”

“Duly noted.”

* * *

Two months went by. Their first date had gone amazingly, as did their second, third, and the consecutive dates that began happening once a week. Jim had behaved remarkably well, in Leonard’s estimation, when he first met Jessica. Tonight, Leonard was at Jessica’s dorm room and they were both ‘studying’ for exams the following week. Indeed they both had their PADDS open and in front of them, but there were also several open, empty beer bottles on the table strewn between the two of them, indicating that they’d strayed from hard-core studying and into more casual conversation as they stared at the words that were beginning to get blurry.

Neither were sure exactly when they’d gotten drunk, or when and how the conversation ended up where it did. But they went from talking about getting older, and the differences between living alone and with someone else. it was Leonard who was the first to say something that sobered them both quite a bit.

“Darlin’ there’s only one person on this planet I’d even consider spending the rest of my life with, and she’s sittin’ across from me.”

As soon as he’d said it, his face turned pale. Her eyes went wide and flicked up to him. She watched his adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed hard before he finally got the guts up to drag his eyes away from his own PADD and to her.

“What’d you say?” she didn’t mean for her voice to come out so close to a whisper.

“I—I think you heard me. Best not repeat it.”

“Did you mean it?”

“Pretty sure I did. Drunk or not, I’m pretty certain about some things.”

“Leonard, I—”

He lowered his gaze and then pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers before rubbing his hands over his face. “Don’t, darlin’. Just don’t say anything. Let’s just pretend I didn’t say it. I’m sure it’d be better that way. I—I should probably go—” he pushed away from the table and moved to stand.

“No!” She called out, following suit.

He closed his eyes for a moment as his head spun and he regained his bearings. He needed to escape before his embarrassment and his drunken state caused him to do or say anything else either of them would regret.

“Please, Len. Don’t go.”

He was already backing away towards the door. She couldn’t seem to move from her place at the table.

“Listen, darlin’—Jess—I… I’ve embarrassed you, I’ve embarrassed myself. I shouldn’t have drunk so much. I should’ve known I’d say something to screw this all up. I think it’d be best if we both just sleep this off—”

And just like that he stumbled out of her room and the door slid shut behind him.

“But I didn’t get to tell you that I feel the same way,” she whimpered to the closed door.

* * *

Two days later, Jess was walking across campus, PADD hugged close to her chest, eyes down. She’d woken up and cried again. Since he walked out of her dorm room she hadn’t heard anything from Leonard and she was brokenhearted that it might be the end of their relationship. Had she scared him off? Had he scared himself off with his confession? Or had he quickly realized he didn’t really mean what he’d said and was worried she’d be clingy? Whatever it was, he wasn’t making any attempts to clarify, apologize, or anything at all—so she was left devastated. She was certain her eyes were probably bloodshot red but she’d given up on caring. She was headed to class, taking the most direct route possible, and was coming around the corner when she careened right into someone coming from the other direction. She fell backwards and landed on her rear end.

“Whoa there!” the male voice called out.

Her eyes shot up and sure enough, it was Jim Kirk. A split second later and her eyes darted to his right, where Leonard McCoy now stood staring wide-eyed at her. Her heart felt like it might break in two all over again and she squeezed her eyes shut for a moment before getting herself up off the ground and brushing herself off, avoiding eye contact with either man. “Sorry,” she mumbled and started to walk away.

“No wait, Jess—” It was Jim Kirk calling after her, not Leonard. She kept walking.

She heard low voices from behind her as the two men seemed to share tense words. Moments later, a hand reached out to grab her shoulder. “Jess, wait.”

It was Leonard. She froze, eyes still downcast towards the ground.

“I wanted to apologize—for making things so awkward on Saturday night. For what I said…”

“Not for avoiding me for two days?”

“That too, I guess.”

“So if you’re apologizing, I guess that means you really didn’t mean it. What you said. It was just some crazy drunken loose-lipped mad raving. We were just a casual thing. Nothing serious. Sure. Thanks for the apology. Bye.” She began walking again as she began to lose what remaining grip she had on her emotions. A tear fell down her cheek.

“Wait—what?” she heard him say from behind her. “You think—I mean—casual? What? Jess!” Moments later he was pulling at her shoulder again. “Jess, wait. I think there’s a misunderstanding.”

“Yeah, I guess so,” she said, unable to control the shakiness in her voice. She tried to pull away, but he was holding onto her by the arm and not letting go.

“No, no, no—I mean. Jess—yes, I’ve been avoiding you. But I shouldn’t have. And it wasn’t because of what you think. I thought—I thought my confession would make you uncomfortable. I thought maybe I’d taken it to too serious a level, too fast. Jess, I told you that night, even drunk, I know a few things for sure. And what I know is that what I said wasn’t a lie. There is only one person on this earth I could spend the rest of my life with, and I’m lookin’ at her.”

Finally she pulled her gaze up to find him gazing down at her. His gaze went from one of worry to firmness as he took a deep breath and stood taller.

“It’s a crazy, mad, universe, Jessica Patton. I came to Starfleet to run away from my ex-wife. If there is a God, he’s laughin’ his rear end off about this. Because somehow in running away I ran right into you. I never expected, never anticipated, never could have dreamed of meetin’ someone like you, darlin’. Fallin’ in love wasn’t in the four-year academy plan, sweetheart, but it sure happened. But how could I ever expect you to feel the same way for me—the washed up grumpy old doctor? I had a terrible marriage—you had this wonderful magnificent thing with David and it was torn from you. I can’t match that. How could I ever live up to what you deserve? How could I—” Suddenly he was shushed with a finger to his lips.

“Leonard Horatio McCoy, do yourself a favor and shut up, okay?” She said gently, but firmly. She then swallowed and took a deep breath before continuing. “Do not presume to tell me who I can and cannot love, Leonard. I never, ever imagined that I could love again after David died. You’re not wrong—what I had with David was special. And I never would have imagined I could be lucky enough to have something special like that again. But, Len, I think a little part of me fell in love with you that first day we met, looking out over San Fransisco Bay. And a little more the next time, and even more that first time you showed up on my doorstep, helpless with your broken PADD.” They both chuckled, relaxing into the moment a little easier than the intensity the conversation had begun with. “By the time we went on our first date, I knew I was in deep, deep trouble. I love you, Leonard McCoy, and not even your grumpy, pessimistic determination that you can’t possibly be happy in this life is going to change the way I feel.”

Leonard raised a hand to her face and gently brushed his fingertips along her cheek. “I love you, too, Jess,” he whispered before leaning down and kissing her.

There was a relieved groan behind them. “Ah, thank goodness. I’m telling you, it has been a miserable two days, Jess.”

Leonard and Jess both smiled mid-kiss and reached out, simultaneously shoving Jim Kirk away.

“Hey!” he yelled, but had they been watching, they would have seen the wide grin on his face.


	6. I Want You on My Ship

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fast Forward - Things change quickly for Leonard & Jessica when Jim Kirk's trial regarding his cheating on the Kobiyashi Maru test is suddenly postponed and the cadets are called into active service.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My thought process: If the captain of a cruise ship (and anyone else who gets the proper certification online) in the 21st century can marry a couple, then surely a Starship Captain can. And while married couples *can* serve on seperate starships, surely there might be *some* pull if you're married, especially when said starship captain really wants you serving on his ship.   
>  Okay, okay, this might be a little far fetched, but deal with it. :P

One minute, Leonard and Jessica were watching Jim Kirk’s whole career flash before his eyes as he went under scrutiny by the Academy higher-ups over his ‘cheating’ on the Kobayashi Maru test. The next minute, they were all frantically being ushered in groups towards their advisor's for ship assignments. In all the hubub, Jess had lost track of Leonard and was looking around anxiously. She knew Leonard already knew what ship he’d be on. It was a dead ringer that he was going to be Assistant CMO on the Enterprise. He’d been recruited by Christopher Pike with every intention of the Doctor being on his ship after graduation. Ever since their confession of love to each other they’d remained serious the rest of their last year of Academy, but had been putting off talk of making anything permanent. Now, she saw their future slipping away.

“Patton, USS Farragut.”

She barely kept her legs under her as she squeezed her eyes shut. She had no idea how long she was standing there before she heard a voice.

“Lieutenant Patton, correct?”

She opened her eyes, instantly recognizing the voice. “Yes, sir, Captain Pike. That is correct.”

“Is something wrong, Lieutenant?”

“Oh, um, no sir. Sorry, sir.”

He glanced towards where the Commander had been calling out assignments. “You received your assignment?”

“Yes sir, the Farragut, sir.”

Pike frowned. “Damn. Carter got his way.”

Jessica frowned in confusion. “I’m sorry, sir? I don’t understand.”

“Captain Carter and I had a little disagreement on what ship you should be assigned to. I’m sorry to say it looks like he won. I’d hoped to have you on the Enterprise.”

She looked down. “Yes sir. I’d hoped to be there as well.”

“You and my Assistant CMO—McCoy—from what I understand you two are pretty serious, aren’t you?”

She swallowed and blushed. “Oh, um—yes sir. How—how did you know about that sir?”

“I keep an eye on my recruits, Lieutenant. I also keep an eye on the best and brightest this Academy has going through it—and you’re one of those. Hence the argument between Carter and I. You and McCoy—that explains the way I came up on you, doesn’t it?”

“Sorry sir—yes. We had, um—well, we’d talked but—not made anything official. We were close though, I think.” She glanced at her ring finger, and Pike noticed. “And, well. I guess it just wasn’t meant to be.”

Suddenly Pike was scanning the room diligently. After a few moments, he frowned and pulled out his communicator. “Captain Pike to Doctor McCoy. Have you boarded the Enterprise yet?”

They heard some commotion before a familiar voice spoke up. “No sir, making my way to the transport now.”

“McCoy, don’t board that transport yet. I’m headed that way and need to have a word.”

“Yes, Captain.”

Pike snapped the communicator shut and nodded the direction of the transport. “Come with me, Lieutenant.”

Jessica was confused, but obeyed. “Captain? Exactly what are we doing?”

“Lieutenant, it’s time for me to make a confession. I’ve done more than just pay attention to my recruits. Doctor McCoy and I happened to be at a banquet just a few nights ago honoring some of the Academy Medical Staff.”

“Yes, I wasn’t able to go with Leonard because I had an exam.”

“Yes, he mentioned that. We had quite a good talk. Here we are. Doctor!” he called out, getting McCoy’s attention. Jessica could tell Leonard was worried about something by the scowl on his face. It seemed to lighten though, when he saw Jessica.

“Captain Pike!” He then turned to her and smiled. “Jessica. So, does this mean you’re on the Enterprise?”

“That’s what we need to discuss, Doctor.”

“Oh?” Leonard frowned.

“Lieutenant Patton has been assigned to the Farragut.”

Leonard’s face flashed from one emotion to the next as his mind tried to wrap around what he’d just learned and what it meant. “Oh.”

“I—I’m sorry, Leonard. I guess… I guess this is goodbye, for now.” Jessica was trying to hold it together.

“Just hold on now, both of you. Leonard, do you remember our conversation the other night?”

Leonard blinked and turned to the Captain. “Our—oh, yes sir. I do.”

Pike nodded. “Well, if you’re certain about what you shared with me that night, now sure would be a good time to put that into action, because it may be our only way of making sure I get my Assistance Chief Engineer of choice.”

Jessica’s eyes went wide. “Assistant Chief—really, sir?”

“Patton, you not only received the highest rankings on written tests but also on every hands-on test the Academy threw at you—and not just in one, but _both_ your fields of study. I’d be a fool if I didn’t want you on my ship.” Pike looked back at McCoy and raised an eyebrow. “What do you say, Doctor? I think this could be just what you and I both need.

McCoy took a deep breath as he turned towards Jessica and reached down to grab her hand. “I don’t even have a ring.”

Jessica’s eyes went even wider, if possible. Things were happening so fast around them, and now right in front of her. “A—a ring?”

“I should have done it months ago. Should have proposed. Should have whisked you away to the mountains and married you.”

“M-married me?”

“Marry me, Jessica Patton. Make me, the man who swore he’d never fall in love, and never get married again, the luckiest man in the universe twice over. To have your love, and to have your hand in marriage would certainly make me that.”

Jessica just stared at Leonard a moment, not quite sure what to say.

“I hate to butt in here, because I know this moment should be much more romantic, but Lieutenant Patton, the way I see it, you have a choice. Walk away and go to the Farragut. You two can stay in touch and try and maintain a long-distance relationship. You wouldn’t be the first in Starfleet to make it work. It’s hard work, but it can happen. Or—you accept Leonard’s proposal—one he confessed to me just two nights ago he should have done months ago. As Captain of the Enterprise I can legally marry you. Right here. Right now. Then, I have something to work with. If you two are legally married, I can put Captain Carter in his place. There’s no way he can fight me getting your duty assignment switched if you’re married to my CMO. Starfleet regulations allow married couples to be assigned to the same ships as long as one isn’t subordinate to the other.”

“Get married—now?” Jessica gasped.

Leonard shook his head. “We don’t have to do this, Jessica. It doesn’t change how much I love you. We can make this work from different ships. We knew it might happen.”

“We’re not babies, Len. We’re grown up. We’ve both experienced relationships and heartache and heartbreak before. I don’t want to be apart from you. Besides, the Enterprise is the best damn ship in the Fleet and I’d be a fool not to marry it’s cranky doctor for a chance to play with her nacelles.”

That got a snort from the Captain. “Alright you two, it’s now or never.”

Leonard smiled at her. “We’re really going to do this?”

She nodded excitedly. “Let’s do this.”

The Captain quickly pulled over two ensigns and within a matter of moments had performed the quickest marriage ceremony anyone present had ever seen.

“Alright, lovebirds—quick kiss then off to the ship. I’ve got to go tell Captain Carter the bad news. Well, bad for him. Absolutely fantastic for me and the Doctor here. Right?”

“Yes, sir! Thank you, sir!” Leonard said as Pike went off the opposite direction. Leonard then turned to Jessica. “We—we’re married.”

She stepped in closer. “We are.”

“Come here and kiss me, darlin’. Because then we’ve got some quick work to do. You’re not going to believe what I’m about to do for Jim.”


	7. Just Another Day at the Office

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A fast look at the scenes from the encounter with Nero, the mission to try and save Vulcan, and the later saving of the Enterprise and destruction of Nero and his ship. All told from Jessica's view and in short snippets.

“Jim.. Jess.. You gotta look at this,” Leonard McCoy said as they looked out of the shuttle window.

“This is it guys,” Jess said excitedly. She couldn’t believe it. She was leaving the Academy and headed straight into the Engineering section on board the Enterprise.

Leonard reached across the seating area to take her hand, momentarily ignoring the ship out the window, or the whiny Jim beside him.

“Listen, darlin’, it looks like things are going to get pretty hectic pretty fast up there. I’ve got to get Jim to sickbay and hidden before the Vulcan or Pike see him.”

“What are you going to do? Once you have him on board?”

“I hadn’t really thought through that far.”

“That’s not like you, Len.”

“Yeah,” he said, glancing at Kirk and rolling his eyes as the man held up his hands in front of his face and counted his fingers. He turned back to Jessica. “Yeah, I know. You should have seen how pitiful he looked. And even if I think what he did was crazy, don’t you think he deserves to be up here as much as we do?”

Jess smiled and reached over, gently placing a hand on Leonard’s cheek. “Yes, I do. You’re a good friend Leonard McCoy. And a good husband.”

He chuckled. “I’ve only been that a few minutes, you may change your mind real quick.”

“Wait… did I hear you say husband?” Jim said, still sounding drunk from the side effects of the shot Bones had given him.

“Yeah, you did.” Leonard said, sitting back in his seat. “It’s a long story, one you’ll hear later.”

“Actually,” Jessica said with a snort laugh, “It’s a pretty quick story. Really quick actually.”

Leonard smirked. “Yeah, well, if we tell him now, he’ll probably forget anyway. We can explain later, once it doesn’t feel like we’re walking into our imminent deaths.”

Jessica sighed. “You know, we still have to work on your positivity.”

“I’m positive this is dangerous, darlin’. So you be safe, and we’ll catch up as soon as we can.”

She nodded just as the shuttle was touching down in the starship.

* * *

“Lt. Jessica Patton, reporting for duty, sir.”

“Lt. Patton,” the chief engineer stopped in mid run to greet his new assistant. “Chief Engineer Olson. When the Captain told me he’d pulled you back over from the Farrugat, I could have kissed the man. You were a damn good cadet and we both wanted you on this ship. Welcome aboard. Now, pleasantries aside, let’s get to work, the ship’s taking off in a matter of minutes.”

“Aye, sir!” Jessica said with a nod and followed him. She had no idea she was being watched so carefully through her Academy years, no idea that Pike was fighting with another Captain over her assignment. Of course, she also had no idea she’d walk aboard her first ship assignment as a married woman.

* * *

The Red Alert alarm sound blasted in Jessica’s ears and soon after the ship was jerking about.

“What the hell are they doing to my ship up there!” Olson shouted as he ran to another console and checked hull integrity.

* * *

“Patton, I’m headed on the away team, the ship is yours. Treat her right.”

“Sir! You—you’re going to leave me here? In charge?”

“That’s right. I am. You can handle it, Lieutenant.”

* * *

“Jess, are you alright?” McCoy said when he noticed her come into Sickbay looking out of sorts. She didn’t immediately respond, so he bent slightly to look in her eyes. “Jess, are you injured?”

“I—I’m sorry,” she said as she shook herself out of her distant thoughts and saw how busy the Sickbay was. “You—you have all these patients, the Vulcans and the crew. I—I’ll come back later.”

“Jess, answer my question. Are you injured?” He said as he looked her over again. She shook her head, but he saw in her eyes that while she might not be physically injured, she was hanging onto the edge of a breakdown. “Come with me,” he said, guiding her towards the CMO office—his office now. “Nurse Chapel, I’ll be right back,” he called over his shoulder.

“Aye, sir.”

As soon as the doors slid closed, he pulled her into his arms. Almost immediately she started shuddering as she gasped through sobs. “Hey, hey there darlin’, it’s okay.” He gently whispered to her as he ran his hand over her hair.

“Len, he’s dead. Olson is dead. I’m left to run engineering, all those crew, I just—”

“Shh, hush now,” he said as she kissed her forehead. “You’re gonna do brilliantly. We both will. We just gotta find our footing.”

She pulled back and looked up at him with wide eyes. “Puri, too?”

He nodded.

She sighed. “I’m sorry, this is pitiful, me up here crying to you. I should be down in engineering taking care of the ship. And you’ve got patients to tend to.”

“You don’t have to apologize, sweetheart. It’s nice to know you want to come to me when you’re hurting. I wish I could do more, but I just can’t right now.”

“I know,” she said as she wiped at her eyes and took a deep breath. “Thanks for taking a minute for me, though. Guess you probably weren’t expecting having to handle an emotional mess of a wife as one of your first husbandly duties.”

“Caring for you is one of my top priorities, Jess—whether we’d been married or not,” he said as he leaned over and gave her a quick kiss.

She smiled and hugged him one last time. “Ditto. If you need a break, you know where to find me.”

* * *

Hours later, Jessica Patton found herself on the bridge, having been called there by Acting Captain Spock.

“Have you confirmed that Nero is headed for Earth?” asked Spock.

“Their trajectory suggests no other destination, Captain,” replied Uhura.

“Thank you, Lieutenant.”

“Earth may be his next stop, but we have to assume every Federation planet's a target.” Kirk spoke up from where he sat in the Captain’s Chair.

“Out of the chair,” Spock warned.

Jim rolled his eyes and stood up.

“Well, if the Federation is a target, why didn't they destroy us?” Chekov asked.

“Why would they? Why waste the weapons? You know... we obviously weren't a threat.”

“That is not it. He said he wanted me to see something. The destruction of my home planet,” Spock spoke up again.

“How the hell did they do that, by the way? Where did the Romulans get that kind of weaponry?” Leonard was standing beside her observing the conversation till now.

Jessica finally piped up as well, feeling they were finally starting to get around to the part of the topic she might have some insight on. “I don’t think ‘where’ is the right question. I think ‘when’ is the question we have to ask.”

Spock’s eyebrow rose, and Jessica worried that perhaps she’d spoken out of turn. Instead of chastising her, he encouraged her train of thought. “Continue, Lieutenant Patton.”

“That ship, its weapons, the drill, and whatever they used to turn the planet into a black hole. It’s unheard of in this time period. It’s so far removed from current reports of Romulan, Klingon, _any_ alien technology. I don’t think it came from this time.”

“Precisely my thought, as well. The engineering comprehension necessary to artificially create a black hole may suggest an answer. Such technology could theoretically be manipulated to create a tunnel through space-time.”

“Dammit man, I'm a doctor, not a physicist. Are you two actually suggesting they're from the future?!” Leonard’s eyes were wide with disbelief.

“If you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.”

Leonard rolled his eyes. “How poetic.”

The conversation didn’t last much longer before Kirk had gotten himself into hot water with Spock and was promptly ejected—not just from the bridge—but from the ship entirely.

* * *

Jessica was working in the depths of Engineering when she heard the distinct sound of a transporter beam humming into the room nearby. _What the…_ she thought inwardly before cautiously exploring.

“Turbine release valve activated,” the computers voice sounded overhead

Jessica came around the corner just in time for the release valve to open, dumping water and a man out onto the floor.

“You alright? You alright?!” He shouted as he ran over to the man.

“My heads buzzing, and I'm soaked, but otherwise I'm fine!” The other man exclaimed.

Jessica cleared her throat, now soaking wet, and rather ticked off at the man she recognized before her. “Jim Kirk, what have you done?” She growled out just as security officers appeared.

“Sorry, Jess, gotta go! I’ll explain everything later!” he shouted back towards her as he ran away.

* * *

“Lt. Commander Montgomery Scott reporting for duty, ma’am.”

Jessica Patton spun around to find the man who’d fallen out of one of her tubes earlier standing before her, now dried off and in an engineering uniform. She sighed, still frowned, though inwardly she was giddy at getting to meet him. “Lt. Commander, you outrank me—in Starfleet rank and in years of experience. There’s no way Montgomery Scott is reporting to _me_ , sir. The position of Chief Engineer of this vessel is yours.”

“Lieutenant, I’ve heard all about your stellar work at the Academy, and how you’ve handled this beauty since she was thrown in your lap. Don’t sell yourself short.”

“Be that as it may, sir, the position is yours. I won’t have it any other way.”

“Well, far be it from me to argue. Besides, we haven’t got the time, pretty soon we’re going back into the fray with that Romulan beast of a ship and we’re going to need everything this ship can muster.”

“Then let’s get to work, sir.”

* * *

“Kirk to engineering. Get us out of here, Scotty!” came across the intercom into the engineering section.

“You bet your arse, Captain… but Captain, the gravity well has got us!”

“Go to maximum warp. Push it!” Kirk called out again.

Scotty growled. Jessica was close by, assisting with pushing the engines as far as they could, but so far they were having no success. “I'm giving her all that she's got, Captain?”

“All she's got isn't good enough. What else you got?”

“Captain, I—” Scotty started to yell again, but Jessica interrupted him.

“Scotty, wait! The core! If we eject the core and detonate, the blast could be enough to push us away!”

Scotty’s eyes went wide at the thought but couldn’t argue. “She’s right, captain. It’s all we’ve got. I cannae promise anything, though!”

“Do it, do it, do it!” Kirk yelled.

“Go!” Scotty yelled to her.

“Yes, sir!” Jessica yelled back as she punched the button.


	8. First, Sleep--Then, Forever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally able to get some rest and be together, both of them have the same priority.

It felt like an eternity before Leonard McCoy stepped into his quarters aboard the Enterprise. Vulcan gone, Nero killed, Jim gone and back again. He was exhausted. But more than that—he was desperate to see Jess. Other than her one trip to Sickbay for comfort, and the few moments they’d seen each other on the bridge, they’d been apart since they’d stepped aboard the ship as a newly married couple.

He’d checked with Engineering and found out Scotty had relieved her from duty an hour earlier with orders to take a day off. She’d managed the engineering section remarkably well for being dropped in straight out of Academy. With Scotty on board, she’d get more rest, Leonard hoped. He also hoped he’d find her in what was now to be their shared quarters. He was still in a bit of shock, admittedly, that he was once again a married man. But what he knew for sure was that Jessica Patton was nothing like his ex-wife. He knew this marriage would be different, and he had no intention of letting this one end till one or both of them was dead—and his preference was for that to be a long time from now. However, life on the Enterprise was already shaping up to be a dangerous task. But at least he had her close, not off on another ship. He quietly moved through the outer room and looked into the bedroom.

Sure enough, laying there, facing him but on the opposite side of the bed from the door, was his wife. He smiled as he realized she wore a familiar grey t-shirt with “Starfleet Medical” emblazoned across the front. It was part of his things. He glanced and noticed only his luggage bag sitting across the room. _Of course_ … if she’d been assigned to the Farragut before the last minute changes, he wondered where here bag had ended up. Hopefully it made it to the Enterprise but was lost somewhere along the way.

He gently sat down on what he assumed would be ‘his’ side of the bed and stroked her cheek. She inhaled a deep breath, but didn’t open her eyes. “They finally let you off work, too?” she mumbled.

He smiled. “Mmhmm. Glad to see you finally getting some rest.”

She patted at the bed. “You need it too. C’mon.”

Normally he’d go through a little bit more of a bedtime routine, but he also normally didn’t have a beautiful woman waiting. He quickly got out of his uniform, down to his boxers, and slid into the bed. He lay several inches away from her, not quite sure how to get comfortable and also allow her to be comfortable. “Just remember if I smell terrible that you’re the one who ordered me to bed without a shower.” He said in mock grumbling. She hummed out a tired chuckle.

He laid on his side facing her, adjusting his head on the pillow with one arm under his head. Gently he rested his other hand on her hip and relaxed as a small smile slipped onto her face at the touch.

After a few minutes she took a breath and whispered. “Hey, Len.”

“Yeah, sweetheart?”

“Will you hold me?”

He scooted closer, pulling her towards him as he did so. “Of course I will,” he whispered as he rolled to his back and pulled her to his side, wrapping both arms around her. “How’s that.”

She nodded into his chest. “Thanks.”

“You alright, darlin’?”

After a few beats she finally spoke again. “I feel like I’ve been on a tilt-a-whirl and am finally stepping off. First Jim’s trial, then suddenly being assigned to ship, and our quick little wedding ceremony, then the battle with Nero, and—it’s just all so much. And here we are. Len, we’re on a spaceship… flying faster than light through space. And when I think about what it would have been like to go through all those experiences and not know where you were. To end up in my quarters alone, without you there to share in the insanity of it all… I’m so glad you’re here Len. I’m so glad we found each other. I’m so glad that Captain Pike was just desperate enough to have me on board that he thought up his crazy idea.”

“You’re strong, Jess. You would have made it through it all just fine.

Another shaky breath. “Yeah, well—I’m glad we’re not testing that theory.”

He rolled back towards her, keeping her in his arms, and leaned down to kiss her forehead. “I’m glad we found each other too, ya know. I’d never have made it through that last year of Academy without you. And stepping out into the vast cesspool of space is definitely more bearable with you by my side.”

She took a deep, more confident breath. “This is nice, too, ya know… being here, in your arms.”

“It is. And we’re going to be doing this every night for the rest of our lives, so I’m glad you enjoy it.”

She let out a tired chuckle. “You mean every night one of us doesn’t have to work a night shift.”

“We’ll figure it all out.”

“Yeah,” she suddenly let a yawn escape. “We will.”

“But first, we sleep.”

She nodded and snuggled further into him. “Yes. First, sleep.”

THE END


End file.
